Can you remember the first sport you played as a four or five year old? I can and it just so happened to be soccer. The funny thing is, I didn’t want to play it at all. Just like my parents picking out broccoli to introduce me to vegetables, they chose soccer to introduce me to sports.  According to me on the ride to the fields they chose wrong. I also made sure they knew it. Clear as day I can remember yelling, screaming and eventually crying. I didn’t want to play. 

This happens lots of times at the dinner table and at the soccer fields. Our parents try to give us nutrients for our health and in regards to sports give us a social outlet to make friends and be active. Sometimes they choose wrong.

But what do you do when this happens? You do as my mom did. Turn the car around and go home. That was my first soccer experience. But why didn’t I want to play? I can confidently say it was because it was new to me and I was afraid. It meant I was to be surrounded by strangers and doing something I had no clue about. Now that doesn’t sound fun at all.

As a parent, you are now presented with a choice. You can force him/her to eat broccoli or you can try another veggie and hope for the best. The same is true with sports or extra activities. Giving your children multiple sporting options is a good thing. This lets them explore, have fun and feel secure away from their parents. Over time their tastes and interests may change and you can circle back to broccoli or the sport they once hated. When the time is right, you give it another shot and again hope for the best.

My parents gave soccer another try only one short year later. My second attempt was at age six and I had the chance to see my older brothers playing sports, including soccer. Watching them play with other kids, laughing and running around was exciting. Especially seeing my older brothers. They were my hero’s. It all looked like fun. So, I gave soccer another shot. This time I liked it­­—a lot. Not only did I continue to play soccer, I tried other sports and other veggies. Some I liked, some I loved and some well were thrown into the garbage can.

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